The present disclosure relates to a sewing sequence determining apparatus, a sewing sequence determining program recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and a sewing machine, the apparatus and program determining sewing sequences of a sewing target when a plurality of sewing targets are sewn by a multi-needle sewing machine.
Conventionally, it has been well known that a multi-needle sewing machine has a plurality of needle bars having sewing needles mounted thereon and a needle bar case in which the plurality of needle bars are provided. This multi-needle sewing machine is configured so that a thread supplied to each of the sewing needles as upper thread can be mounted, the number of which is equal to or greater than the number of sewing needles. In addition, it has been known that a sewing machine control device for controlling the multi-needle sewing machine registers in association with each other needle bars (sewing needles) and thread information serving as information relating to colors, thickness, materials, and manufacturers or the like of threads supplied to the needle bars (sewing needles).
At the time of controlling sewing operations of a multi-needle sewing machine, such a sewing machine control device compares thread information included in sewing data for carrying out sewing operations with thread information on threads supplied to sewing needles, and selects sewing needles supplied with threads that correspond to the thread information in the sewing data as sewing needles. In addition, in the case where the thread corresponding to thread information included in the sewing data is not registered in the sewing machine control device, the above control device interrupts sewing operations of the multi-needle sewing machine.
At this time, an operator needs to replace threads so as to supply to the sewing needles the thread corresponding to the thread information included in the sewing data, and then, resume sewing using the multi-needle sewing machine. The operator must set a relationship between the needle bars and the threads supplied to the sewing needles mounted on the needle bars, whereas it is desirable to replace threads so as to reduce the number of thread replacement and to reduce the time period of interrupting sewing operations of the multi-needle sewing machine to the minimum. Therefore, there is proposed a variety of methods for effectively carrying out thread replacement of the multi-needle sewing machine.
For example, there is proposed a sewing machine control device, a sewing machine control method, and a sewing machine control program for determining a relationship between needle bars and threads supplied to sewing needles mounted onto these needle bars in consideration of the sewing sequences or thread use frequency or the like so as to reduce the number of the thread replacement during sewing operations, and then, announcing their relationship to an operator (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-33538).